Keep Watch And Be Ready

Heaven and earth will disappear, but My words will never disappear. However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows.
When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” Matthew 24:35-42 (NLT)
Jesus clearly told the disciples that no one knew the time of His return, not even Him. Only God knew, and God wasn’t telling. Many have predicted His coming, many have pointed to His imminent return, but all have been wrong.
There will always be those who will confidently proclaim that Jesus will return on such-and-such a day or during this month or that year. But pay no attention to them. If Jesus didn’t know when He would return, then surely they don’t either.
In spite of the fact that Jesus said He didn’t know the time of His return, He was very adamant: He would return. So He warned His disciples to keep watch and be ready so that when it happened it wouldn’t catch them off guard and unprepared, as did the flood in Noah’s day or as a thief might the unsuspecting home owner.
We modern-day disciples need to hear again Jesus’ warning so we can be prepared, stand ready, and live expectantly. We need to guard against becoming so caught up in living out our lives that we forget about His return and thus let down our spiritual guard. Neither should we allow the seeming delay of Jesus’ return cause us to become impatient, discouraged, or bored. Instead, we need to live lives that include an awareness of His coming.
Remember, Jesus will return, but it will be on God’s time table, not ours. This race of ours, after all, will not go to the swiftest but to the ones who stand firm and finish.